TERCERA ETAPA: RESIDUALIDAD

Purposive sampling was used to select the universities for the multiple case study. This method is “a non-probability sample that is selected based on characteristics of a population and the objective of the study” (ThoughtCo., 2018). It is a purposive sampling because only the universities that were relocated as a result of the armed conflict were considered for this research. All eighteen universities were contacted and invited to participate in this research. The administration of six universities contacted the researcher expressing their interest in the study. The researcher would also like to acknowledge the use of informal communication methods in contacting

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the participants. The use of social network, such as Facebook was particularly effective in establishing effective communication with the participants. The sample size of five displaced universities was considered appropriate, manageable and one that would ensure fair representation of the displaced universities and allow for generalizability, as well as help avoid oversaturation of data. Universities of different types, of different sizes and from different regions were selected to “gain greater insights into a phenomenon by looking at it from all angles” and to ensure maximum variation in the purposive sampling, (CIRT, n.d.). The sixth university was eliminated due to the similar characteristics with another university regarding its profile and size. The research uses five case universities from a total of 18 displaced public universities in the country3_{. The following universities were selected for the}

site visit and data collection:

• V. Stus Donetsk National University located in Vinnytsia

• V. Dahl East-Ukrainian National University located in Severodonetsk • Luhansk National Agrarian University located in Kharkiv

• Donbass National Academy of Civil Engineering and Architecture located in Kramatorsk

• Donetsk National Technical University located in Pokrovsk

In this study, case institutions are public entities owned by the government. The five case institutions belong to the category of national universities4_{. Specific profile, size,}

as well as critical figures (i.e., the number of staff, number of students, number of faculties) of the institutions will be provided in the following chapter. The study relies on two data collection methods: interviews and secondary data (e.g., Ministry Decree, University Statements). Interviews are an appropriate method in this qualitative research because they allow for collecting in-depth information and obtain insights into complex phenomena (Biggam, 2011). The interviews allow both verbal and non-verbal information to be collected, which adds more integrity and authenticity to the data that is being collected. This research used semi-structured interviews, which were audiotaped and transcribed at the participants’ permission. The semi-structured interviews provide some structure for the interviewee and a direction to pursue, however, they also allow for clarification, expansion or narrowing of the questions discussed as need be. The questions of the interviews are structured based on the research questions: impact of the armed conflict and crisis management tools. This method, however, has few limitations, for instance, the account of information can be filtered through interviewees’ lens, and therefore could be affected by personal abilities and perceptions, which could hinder researcher’s attempts to grasp the phenomenon.

3 _{For complete list of all 18 displaced higher education institutions see Appendix 2.}

4 _{National higher education institution - a status that is granted to an institution for its distinguished}

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This thesis adopts a triangulation method which entails the use of one or more methods of data collection to “explain more fully the richness and complexity of human behavior by studying it from more than one standpoint” (Cohen and Manion, 1995, p.106). The collection of secondary data was performed through analyses of higher education proclamations, national higher education policies, strategic plans, performance reports, institutional plans, meeting minutes, legislative documents, statistical reports and other relevant documents. The limitation of such approach is that some of the relevant documents may not be publicly accessible. The study is complemented by the use of non-participant/complete observation to verify the consistency of obtained information through interviews and focus groups. As mentioned previously, five displaced universities were selected for this research through the purposeful sampling technique.

This research employed a combination of convenience, expert sampling, and snowball sampling to select the interviewees. The data of the study was collected in April-May of 2018. This included 25 in-person interviews lasting 30-45 minutes, which were conducted with the top management, faculty and students from the displaced universities. The Chart 1 provides detailed statistics on the number of interviewees and their variability.

Chart 1. Interview statistics at five displaced universities

An interview protocol was used to ask questions and record answers during the interviews. The protocol contained instructions for the interview to follow to use consistent procedures at all interviews5_{. The questions consisting of beginning warm-}

up questions and followed by content-specific ones. A thank-you statement was issued to all the participants of the research to acknowledge their time and effort.

5_{For interview guide see Appendix 1.}

0 1 1 2 1 3 1 2 1 3 1 0 2 2 1 0 0 1 1 2 1 1 1 0 2 0 0.5 1 1.5 2 2.5 3 3.5

DonNU LNAU Dal University DoNABA DNTU

Top management Director of Institute/Head of Unit

Dean Teacher/Lecturer/Employee

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The researcher used a field log to record the agenda of each site visit and the proceedings of the day. Details regarding the researcher’s observations were also recorded in a field diary chronologically, including descriptive and reflective observation).